Benue: Obi blasts Tinubu for not visiting Yelwata

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has publicly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for failing to visit the Yelwata community in Benue State, after the president cited ‘bad roads’ as the reason for not visiting the site of a recent massacre.

Obi, in a statement shared via his official Facebook page, condemned the excuse as unacceptable and a clear failure of leadership.

He argued that in times of national tragedy, true leaders show up regardless of the obstacles

“One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks,” Obi said. “A true leader does not make excuses or complain; he shows up, sacrifices, and provides solutions, especially in difficult times.”

He pointed out that the President had ample time to prepare for the visit and could have arranged alternative means of transport, including air travel.

“Even if we accept that the roads were truly impassable—which they are not, as presidential aides and staff managed to navigate them—what happened to the use of helicopters?” Obi asked. “Are we saying a nation with a presidential air fleet could not airlift the President to Yelwata to commiserate with grieving citizens?”

Obi stressed that what the people of Benue needed was not excuses or protocol but genuine empathy and physical presence.

He questioned the message it sends to ordinary Nigerians when their president cannot reach them due to infrastructure failure under his own administration.

“If the Commander-in-Chief cannot reach a part of his own country due to bad roads, what hope is there for the ordinary Nigerian who plies those same routes every day?” he queried.

He concluded by calling for a shift toward responsible leadership and urged leaders to act with courage, sacrifice, and sincerity.

“A New Nigeria cannot—and will not—be built on excuses. It will be built on the sacrifices, courage, and responsibility of true leaders,” Obi said.